Minnesota Law Research Guide

Administrative Agencies

The Rulemaking Process

Administrative rules implement and enforce statutory law. Government agencies can create regulations only if they have been authorized to do so through specific "enabling" laws. Agencies officially announce their proposed regulations, hold hearings and solicit comments, and then adopt final rules. The publications below describe the rulemaking process in greater detail.

Review of Adopted Rules

New & Proposed Rules - State Register

Compilation of Rules - Minnesota Rules

Following adoption, final regulations are codified (added to existing regulations on the same topic) in the:

Finding an existing rule when you only know its subject.

• Start with the index to the Minnesota Rules. Search under the subject.
• If this does not work, look at the list of rules by name of agency at the beginning of any Minnesota Rules volume. If you find a relevant agency, go to the volume of Minnesota Rules which contains the chapter of the rules for that agency. Scan the contents listed at the beginning of the chapter for rules that match your subject interest.

Finding an existing rule when you know the statute which authorized it.

• Start with the "Statutory Authority for Administrative Rules" table in the Minnesota Rules. Look up the statute citation. You will be given a list of rules which have been promulgated pursuant to that statute.
• Alternatively, use the same table in the Minnesota Statutes Law Library Primary KFM5429.M56).

Finding proposed or newly adopted rules.

• If you only know the subject, search under the name of the most likely agency in the "Amendments and Additions" list found at the beginning of the State Register. If possible, start with the cumulations which appear in issue nos. 26, 39, and 52 and update these in the weekly issues as necessary.
• If you know a rule number and wish to update it, check the rule number in the "Amendments and Additions" list found at the beginning of the State Register. If possible, start with the cumulations which appear in issue nos. 26, 39, and 52 and update these in the weekly issues as necessary.

Administrative Decisions - Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH)

Enabling legislation often provides state agencies the power to adjudicate disputes related to state laws, and to the agency's own regulations. Administrative law judges of the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), established in 1976, preside over hearings, and issue decisions covering a wide variety cases challenging government actions. OAH judges also review the need for, and reasonableness of, all rules proposed by state agencies. The OAH has a separate, Workers' Compensation Division, with judges that hear disputes concerning workers' compensation benefits. For a more detailed discussion consult the following sources:

OAH Decisions

The decisions of OAH judges can be located in these online and print sources:

Commercial Databases Containing OAH & Other Administrative Agency Decisions

The Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals and the Minnesota Tax Court are specialized, executive branch courts. The decisions of these courts can be located in the online and print sources listed below.